The Colonial Newsletter, no. 86

US ISSN 0010-1443

P. O. Box 441 1 Huntsville, Alabama 3581 5 J. C. Spiiman, Editor

Volume 30, No. 3 October, 1990 Serial No. 86

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John Bailey^s New-York Packet Affidavit
Pago 1187

John Bailo/s Shop across from the
Merchants Coffee House
" Page 1187

N*J,Maris 71*y Struck Over
M.M» Counterfeit British Halfipenco
Page 1188

ANew Atlee-Machin’s Counterfeit
Vlack 4-71D
Page 1189

Halloween at Machine Mills
introduces a new category

Conjecture /Speculation
Page 1190

New York City Mayor’s Court
and the
State Coinages
Page 1192

J

Sequential page 1186

Copyright ©1990 by The Colonial Newsletter Foundation, Inc.

October 1990

THE COLONIAL NEWSLETTER

Sequential page 1187

Additional Facts on John Bailey

• • from Gary A. Trudgen; Endwell, NY

John Bailey's NBw-York Paciref Affidavit (TN*133)

This notice, placed by the City of
New York, appeared in the
New- York Packet of August,
1789. As you can see, the
notice is John Bailey’s sworn
statement concerning his
involvement with the New
Jersey copper coinages. This
notice was probably Sylvester S.
Crosby's source for this
important affidavit which appears
on page 283 in his Early Coins
of America prefaced with the
observation "We are indebted
to Mr. Bushnell for a copy of an
affidavit of John Bailey, who, it
seems, also made New Jersey
coppers".

I

Citj of Kevi- Tork% ft,

P ERSONALLY appeared before me, Jeremiah
Wool, one of the Aldermen of the laid piy, !
John Bailey, of the faid city of New-Yorli, cutler,
who being duly fwom depofcih and faith. That Cnee
the fifteenth day of April, 1788, he hath not either
by hirofelf or others, made or liruck any Coppers,
baring the impreflion of tliofe circulated by the
St«e of Newjerfey, ccrnmonly called Jerfey cp^
pers : And that what he (b made previous to the laid
fifteenth of April, was iii conformity to, and by au«
thority derived from an adt of the &ate of New*
Jerfey, entitled, * An afl for the efiablilhment of a
coinage of copper in that State,* pafled June the
firft, 1786. JOHN BAILEY.

Sworn this firft*dav of Augufi, 1789,

Before me, JERJEMIAH WOOL, AWerman.

John Bailey's Shop "across from the Merchants Coffee House". (TN«134)

Another piece of information concerning John Bailey has come to light but unfortunately too
late to be included in my article on Bailey which appeared in CNL No. 85. Thus I have elected
to include the information in this Technical Note.

John Bailey's daughter, Charlotte, related to Issac J. Greenwood that her father had erected
his shop across from the Merchants Coffee House at his own expense. (1) After the
Revolutionary War, Bailey did not return to this location. Since that section of the city had not
been destroyed by fire during the British occupation, I was left guessing why he did not
resume occupancy of his building. Recently I fouixl that Bailey had filed a petition with the
Assembly of the State of New York that explains the preceding puzzle (2).

It turns out that John Bailey had never owned the subject building, but had leased the
building from Archibald Kennedy, Esquire. The petition states that before the war Bailey had
expended a large sum of money in repairing the building, perhaps explaining Charlotte's
misunderstanding that her father had erected the building. The lease expired during the war,
while Bailey was exiled in Fishkill, NY. Bailey petitioned the Assembly to "bring in a bill to
enable him to enter and occupy the said house, for a term of years equal to the time he was
prevented from occupying the said house." The Assembly determined "that the prayer of the
petitioner (John Bailey) ought not be granted." Therefore, Bailey remained at his new
location in Little Dock Street.

(1 ) Memoir of John Bailey and the War ^ord of Washington.” 1 864.

(2) 1786 Journal of the Assembly of Vte State of New York. The petition was filed on
February 3 and the Assembly rendered its decision on February 28.

October 1990

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Sequential page 1188

A New and Interesting Example of New Jersey Marls 71*y (TN-135)

Struck Over a Machin's Mills Counterfeit British Halfpence.

• • from Mark Auerbach; Oak Ridge, NJ

I am enclosing information on a very interesting example of Maris 71 -y. The photographs are
courtesy of Tom Mulvaney of Mid-American Rare Coin Auctions, Inc. and much of the census
data is courtesy of Michael Hodder of Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc.

Attribution Number:
Rarity Rating:
Weight:

Diameter:

Die-axis:

Grade:

Maris 71 -y
R-7

96.9 grains

28.9 X 28.6 mm.
160 degrees
VF-20+

2X Enlargement

The obverse is sunk on AESAR and in the right field; and there is a break from the muzzle to
the rim. This die state is later than Spiro:161 1 . The reverse die state is impossible to
determine due to the overstriking. The piece was struck three times and appears to have
been overstruck on a Machin's Mills Georgius Ill/Britannia halfpence. The Vlack number of the
undertype is not ascertainable. This specimen is finer than Taylor, Garrett, both ANS
specimens, the New Jersey Historical Society example, or the one in an Arizona and New
Jersey collections (2-3 pieces). The color of this coin is medium brown with lighter areas on
the devices. It is a very attractive coin overall, and now rests in a prominent New Jersey State
coinage collection.

I trust that CNL Patrons will enjoy reading about this coin as much as I enjoyed attributing and
researching it.

October 1990

THE COLONIAL NEWSLEHER

Sequential page 1169

A New Atlee-Machin's Mills Counterfeit (TN-1361

British Halfpence Reverse & Variety.

• • from Frank Steimie; Ocean NJ

I have the honor and pleasure to bring to CNL Patrons the discovery of a new Atlee-Machin’s
Mills counterfeit British halfpence reverse. This reverse was found in combination with a well
known obverse, Vlack 4, which is characterized by the hom-like top leaves of the head wreath
and is commonly found with reverse 75A and, rarely, with reverse 71 C.

This new reverse appears to be dated 1771, although porosity in the area of the last date digit
leaves a small question if the date might be 1777. The other features of the die, in total, do
not correspond to any other illustrated on Vlack’s plate or subsequently discovered and
published. This new reverse has been examined by verified by Mike Ringo who generously
took the photographs of the piece. Until another specimen is found to clear up the remaining
71 or 77 doubt, Mike and I suggest that the reverse be tentatively catalogued and listed as
71 D, and the variety as Vlack 4-71 D.

2X Enlargement

Because the discovery coin is dark and porous, some details may not be apparent on the
photograph. The key attributes of this new reverse are:

1 . The left hand of the seated figure points to the T of "BRITAN-", similar to 76A or
78B, and quite different from any other possible reverse, i.e., the other 1771s the
1774, or the rare 1777.

2. The bottom of the spear shaft points to the top of the first 1 in the date, like
71Bor74A.

3. There is a double line under the figure, like 75A.

4. The date is large and the digits well spaced,like 75A and others.

The specimen was found at a small local show last year and weighs 96.9 grains. It is in very
good, or so, condition but is dark and finely porous overall. There is not any clear evidence of
die deterioration or failure to explain the apparent rarity of this issue. Vlack 4-75A is a relatively
common variety of which I have acquired several over the years from dealers "junk" boxes
without much effort, but the other 71 reverse (71 C) for obverse Vlack 4 is also very rare, near

October 1990

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Sequential page 1190

Halloween at Machin's Mills (CS-1)

• • from Michael Hodder; Wolfeboro, NH

They also sometimes worthed in masks to create a terror in the neighborhood . . .
Atlee, the engraver, wore a horrid mask, and frightened some boys who came to fish
so that they never ventured near the mill again."

E.M.Ruttenber. History of the County of Orange. 1875

This statement was made to Dr. F.B.Hough by Thomas Machin, Jr., and reproduced by
Ruttenber, a local historian. It is unique in the records of any mint coining coppers during the
Confederation period and has never been adequately explained aithough variously
interpreted. The usually offered story is best found in Walter Breen’s magisterial
Encyclopedia (1900):

Machin's son Thomas provided the interesting details that neighbors suspected the
Mint House [Machin's Mills] operations to be illegal because much of the work went on
at night, with workmen wearing hideous masks to frighten off any children not already
repelled by the noise of rolling mills, blank cutters, and coining press.

In this reading of Thomas Machin, Jr.'s account, the Machin's Mills operatives, James F. Atlee
Included, wore their masks to keep ir^uis'rtive neighbors at bay, desiring no questions about
the "illegal" coining going on at the Mills.

This explanation might be convincing if the neighbors in question were all suggestive
children. Adults, on the other hand, might not be so easily persuaded to retire at the sight of a
"hideous mask”. Further, I can conceive of nothing more guaranteed to raise parental
curiosity, not to mention anger, than learning that one's children had been frightened away
from a favorite spot by some masked bullies. Rather than keeping curiosity at bay, such
provocative behavior by the coiners, I believe, would have encouraged exactly the opposite
reaction among the neighbors.

Could there be some other explanation for this intriguing part of Thomas Machin, Jr.'s
memorial of his father's minting business? I believe there may be, and while the following
cannot be proved to have been correct, I believe it is more plausible than the commonly
offered one.

In his De Re Metallica (1556), Agricola mentions that workers in the iron btoomeries, where
open fires and high heat were a hazard, commonly wore facial masks made of linen, with eye-
slits for vision. In Agrioola’s day, the masks were worn to ward off the fumes rising from the
fires, not as protection from heat or sparks. Somewhat closer to Machin's time, the Saugus
Iron Works (17th century) in Saugus, Massachusetts, does not record any sort of facial
protection worn by the workers there. Diderot's Encyclopedia (roughly contemporaneous
with Machin) also fails to show the bloomery workers wearing any facial covering, but then, the
engravers of Diderot's plates were concerned with renderings of the machinery, not the
workers. They often showed workers handling hot iron in bare feet and without gloves. Plate
XVI, Casting Cannon, does show one worker shielding his face from the open furnace with his
hat, while the puddler, closer to the molten metal, holds his try bar in his bare handsi At least
Saugus's workers had gauntlets and bootsi The bloomery workers at Hopewell Furnace in
Pennsylvania, again contemporaneous with Machin’s operation, did wear facial protection,
described by one of the staff historians as kerchiefs wrapped around the lower portion of the
face.

Gary Trudgen did not find surface evidence of reducing furnaces at the site of Machin's Mills in
Newburgh when he walked the area. We know from Thomas Machin, Jr.'s account that his
father is said to have obtained the copper for his coinage from melted brass cannon, the zinc
extracted from the alloy by reduction. Gary believed that the reducing works may have been

THE COLONIAL NEWSLETTER

October 1990

Sequential page 1191

elsewhere, and that this phase of Machin's operation may have been sub-contracted to a tocal
furnace. It should be said, however, that the Machin's Mills site has not been excavated.

Even if Machin's Mills did not have an on-site reducing furnace, it must have maintained an
active high temperature hearth for the copper ingots we know the Mills rolled into sheets.
Further, there rrwst have been an annealing hearth or furnace for the blanks, after they had
been cut from the sheet copper, as well as some facilities for annealing die steel, assuming
dies were cut on site. Even if the hearths were of the reverberatory type, enclosed to reflect
heat that would otherwise have been lost to the air, the inspection and extraction port would
have exposed a worker to localized high heat. It should be remembered that the ten^erature
of a fire was judged by the color of its flame at this time, so the hearth master would be
required to look into the the flame at frequent intervals.! mean to suggest that the masks
referred to worn by Atlee and others may simply have been facial protection from the high
heat and sparks of the hearths. If they resembled the masks described by Agricola, they
would have been full head coverings with eye slits. If they were the kerchief type used by the
Hopewell bbomery men, then they wouW have covered the lower half of the face. The
appearance of the Machin's Mills workers wearing such face coverings would have been
enough to frighten children. Making coins was a sweaty, dangerous job for those swinging
the press arm or feeding the dies. Those involved with annealing ingots or rolling the hot
copper into sheet wouW have been sooty .ind grimy, their work cfothes singed by the heat of
the hearths and holed by flying sparks. Truly devilish in appearance, working in an
environment at times full of smoke, smells, and fire, surrounded by the deafening noise of the
mill wheel, rollers, polishing drum, and coining press, the Machin's Mills workers probably did
resemble characters escaped from a lower level of Hades.

If the masks were facial protectbn, and Atlee was seen wearing one, than we must assume
that Atlee needed a mask because he worked near and often enough to the open hearths, at
least on occasfon. It is difffcult to imagine why a die sinker woub need facial protectbn in his
craft. Perhaps Atlee's role at Machin's Mills involved more than just die sinking?

Some thoughts from ye Editor

Halloween at Marhm'a Mills is the introduotory item in a now calory of topics to be
m^ussed in CNL* fVom time to time a number of ideas have presented themselves to yo
Edi^r gjat didnot seem to properly fit into the category ofaTerhnicalHote orasauuestion
for the Bes^rch Forum* Moasbasedon perfectly goodlog^eandeircuanstantiBlevidence but

wbicn sqppear to conflict with or contradict establi^ed ^‘numismatic tradition‘s*

To acwnmio^te «iis type of ider., or article, we have established the Oonjecture and
Specultoon tCS) category* Here are ideas for which hard proof cannot he presented but
which common sense suggests appropriate conclusions* Conjecture is defined as ‘inference
Imed on incl^usive or incomplote evidencejguesswork", and Speculation as “contemplation
of a profound nature” ^ or ^“a conclusion, opinion, or theory reached by speculatina,”
whrch is “to meditate on a given subject^ to reflect ”

□ □ □

October 1990

THE COLONIAL NEWSLETTER

Sequential page 1192

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR'S COURT
and the

STATE COINAGES

by

Gary A. Trudgen
(TN-137)

Litigation involving the individuals who were responsible for the state coinages often adds to
our understanding of their coinage operations. Up to now, the New York City Mayor's Court
records have been an untapped resource. The minutes of this court are still extant, and they
contain many entries involving individuals from the New Jersey and New York coinage
operations.

The Mayor's Court was a court of common pleas that had jurisdiction over violations of city
ordinances and petty criminal or civil matters within New York County. It was presided over by
the mayor, the recorder, and the aldermen, and it was the oldest court in the city. During the
state coinage era, a session was held approximately once per month, starting on a Tuesday
and running for two or three days.

The New York City Mayor's Court was inactive during the American Revolution because the
city was under British military rule. However, the court resumed sessions in February of 1784,
after the British evacuated the city. The Mayor's Court, which soon became the most
esteemed court in the city, was held in City Hall, at the head of Broad Street. Mayor James
Duane and Recorder Richard Varick headed the court from February 1784 until September

1789. When Richard Varick became the new mayor, he assumed control of the court in
October 1789, and Samuel Jones became recorder.

Unfortunately, specific details of each case are not recorded within the Mayor's Court minutes.
In most instances, the minutes do not indicate the reason why litigation was started. Instead,
the minutes list the names of the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s), their attorneys, and the court
rulings concerning each case. Therefore, coinage people associations and the individuals
who dealt with them can be gleaned from the minutes. (Association is used in this context to
indicate that two or more people had a comrrx>n interest. If it is known that these people were
contractually involved in a business, then partnership is used.) Also, other sundry items
respecting the individuals responsible for the state coinages can be ascertained from the
minutes. The state coinage era occurred during the years 1785 through 1789. An
examination of the Mayor's Court minutes during this period, and including a year before and
after this period, reveals the following. There are a total of 193 entries, from 1784 through

1790, which involve individuals from the New Jersey and New York state coinage operations.
Often there was mors than one entry per case resulting in a total of 83 separate cases during
this period. Breaking the number of cases down by year yields the following information:

January 1 , 1 784 - December 31 , 1 784: 4

January 1, 1785 - December31, 1785: 15
January 1, 1786- December 31, 1786: 15
January 1, 1787 - December31, 1787: 23
January 1 , 1 788 - December 31,1 788: 1 5
January 1 , 1789 - December 31 , 1789: 5

January 1 , 1790 - December 31 , 1790: 6

TOTAL 83

The preceding data shows an increase in litigation during the coinage era. Interestingly, the
number of cases peak in 1787, during the height of the coinage period. This information
certainly indicates that many of the cases were coinage related.

October 1990

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Sequential page 1193

A chronological review of the minutes provides the following information relative to the
individuals responsible for the New Jersey and New York State coinages:

(1) . The May 25, 1784 session records a partnership between Samuel Atlee and
William Alexander. Alexander is listed in the New York City directory as living at
Great George Street. During this time, Samuel Atlee was operating a porter brewery
in the West Ward of the city along the Hudson River, under the firm name of Atlee &

Co. Later he became financially Involved In the Rahway, New Jersey coinage
operation. Still later he was a copartner in Thomas Machin’s coinage operation
(Machin’s Mills), located near Newburgh, New York.

The August 23, 1785 session shows the AUee-Alexander associates involved in a
larger partnership. This firm also included James Atlee, John Perkin, Alexander
Reed, and William Thompson. George Olive, an importer and furniture
manufacturer located in New York City at No. 14 Fletcher Street, acted as their
assignee. James Atlee is credited with engraving coinage dies for a New York City
private mint and the Rahway, New Jersey mint during 1786 and into 1787. Later, in
April 1787, he joined in copartnership with the Machin’s Mills coinage operation.

The addresses and occupations of John Perkin and Alexander Reed are not listed
in the city directory. William Thompson was a parchment, vellum, and glove
manufacturer located at No. 28 Dye Street in New York City.

James Giles, the future Machin’s Mills copartner, served as attorney for the
preceding two partnerships. Giles had obtained an attorne/s license from New
York State on February 5, 1784. His first residence in New York City was at No. 65
William Street. In May of 1785 he moved to No. 65 Maiden Lane and a year later he
moved again, this time to No. 58 Maiden Lane.

(2) . The first of twelve law suits involving the partnership of John Grier, James
Grier, and David Brooks appears In the June 15, 1784 session. These three men
were merchants under the firm name of Brooks, Grier, & Co., located In New York
City at No. 71 William areet. In April 1787, James Grier and David Brooks became
associates in the Machin’s Mills coinage operation. James Giles, also an associate
of Machin’s Mills, was one of their attorneys. He represented them in the December
8, 1785 session. The Brooks-Grier partnership existed at least from June 1784
through August 1790. They were always the plaintiffs and the court judgements
were always In their favor.

(3) . The September 7, 1784 session records a partnership between Thomas
Goadsby, Joseph and Thomas Holmes, and Maria and Samuel Kirkman. In 1786,
Thomas Goadsby was one of three men who were contracted to coin coppers for
the State of New Jersey. Joseph and Thomas Holmes, as well as Maria and Samuel
Kirkman, are not listed in the New York City directories. Therefore, they may have
been residents of New Jersey. The Goadsby-Holmes-Kirkman partnership was in
existence from at least September 1784 through August 1790, which covers the
entire New Jersey copper coinage period. During this time they were the plaintiffs in
three cases. In their first case they sued James Brebner and Andrew Brown, store
owners at No. 8 William Street, New York City. In their last case they sued Frederick
Jay, brother of Chief Justice John Jay. Frederick was an auctioneer who dealt
mainly In real estate and he was located in the city at No. 1 1 Queen Street.

(4) . During the February 22, 1785 session, Samuel Atlee appeared in court and
swore an oath of allegiance to New York State. Samuel had petitioned the New
York Legislature to be naturalized and made a citizen of the state. His name
appears in a bill passed by the Legislature on May 4, 1784 titled "And Act to
naturalize certain persons therein named." This indicates that he was foreign bom.

James F. Atlee also petitioned the New York Legislature for citizenship, indicating
that he was also foreign bom. His name appears in a similar act passed on April 18,

October 1990

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Sequential page 1194

1787. However, the Mayor's Court minutes do not record his appearance in court to
take the oath of allegiance. Perhaps he appeared in another court. The act does
not specify a specific court in which the person was to appear.

(5) . In addition to pleading many cases in the Mayor's Court on behalf of his fellow
coiners, James Giles was also involved in several lawsuits himself, a total of
seventeen. A sampling of these cases follows. Recorded in the February 24, 1784
session is a case where Giles sued a Thomas Mills. This case went to trial on March
23, 1 784 where Mills was charged with assault and battery. The jury ruled in favor of
Giles and awarded him 250 pounds in damages. It seems that Giles was
handsomely rewarded for the beating he took from Mills. Later that year, Giles
placed a notice in the newspapers that Thomas Mills was an insolvent debtor. He
went on to say that he was Mills’ assignee and that he was collecting the debts
owed to Mills. Another interesting suit is recorded in the October 24, 1786
session. Here Giles sued Samuel and James F. Atlee, his future copartners. Earlier
Giles had served as their attorney. Perhaps they failed to pay his fee.
Nevertheless, this case never went to trial, indicating that the disagreement was
settled out of court. Later, in the September 18, 1787 session, Giles sued Hercules
Mulligan, a tailor located In the city at Chapel Street. James Giles was known for his
precise dress, so Giles may have been disappointed with Mulligan’s work.

In addition to the several lawsuits that James Giles was involved in, another piece of
information concerning Giles can be gleaned from the minutes. It is known that he
moved from New York City to Bridgeton, New Jersey sometime during the year

1788. However, until rrow, it was unknown when during the year he moved. The
Mayor’s Court minutes record that Giles was involved in six lawsuits during 1788.
The sheriff doesn’t list him as "not found" until the September 13, 1788 session.
Apparently he was in the process of moving at this time. However, he didnl move
suddenly because in the August 4, 1789 session the New York City sheriff
return^ that he had seized Giles’ goods and chattels to the amount of £27.3.3.
Later, In the October 20, 1789 session, a record filed in one of the causes against
James Giles was amended to read New "Jersey" instead of New "York." This
change was made to indicate Giles’ new state of residence.

(6) . Thomas Machin, the man who constnicted the mills near Newburgh, New York
that were later converted into a mint, was involved in three lawsuits. The first
appears in the April 19, 1785 session. This suit/counter suit was with Ebenezer
Mather. Mather is not listed in the New York City directories, but he must have been
from New York County. James Giles was Machin’s attorney, and this dispute ran for
3. years without being settled in court. This cause was given to referees on three
separate occasions in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The first group of referees
were appointed during the March 21, 1786 session. The second group of
referees, chosen during the March 6, 1787 session. Included Machin’s soon-to-be
partner, David Brooks. The Machin’s Mills coinage operation was formed on April
18, 1787. This conflict of interest may have prompted the appointment of the third
group of referees, which occurred later that year during the November 27, 1787
session. The two other law suits, in which Machin was the defendant, were with
Isaac Clason (4/3/1787 session) and William Buckle (11/27/1787 session). Both of
these men were merchants. These cases must have been settled out of court
because the minutes contain only the initial entry for each of them.

(7) . John Bailey, the New York City cutler, coiner, and brass founder, was involved
in seven lawsuits during this period. The first case, in which Bailey was sued by
Moses Rogers and John Murray, Jr., appears in the June 7, 1785 session. None of
the lawsuits occurred during Bailey’s alleged coinage period of 1787 through April
15, 1788. Therefore, these cases were probably concerned with Baile/s cutlery
business. John Bailey also served as a juror in the Mayor’s Court during this period.

October 1990

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Sequential page 1195

(8) . Samuel Atlee, the brewer and Machin's Mills copartner, appears by himself in
eleven cases. Interestingly, seven of these lawsuits were initiated in 1787, during
the height of the coinage period. The first cause appears in the December 8, 1785
session where Atlee is sued by Abraham Brevoori. Brevoort was an ironmonger
located at No. 26 Queen Street in New York City. In the August 1, 1786 session,
Atlee sued William Gilliland, a store owner located on Broad Street in the city. In the
very next session James F. Atlee joined with Samuel Atlee in suing Gilliland. James
Giles, their future Machin’s Mills copartner, was their attorney in this case. Lastly,
Samuel and James F. Atlee’s old partner, William Alexander, was involved In
litigation with them during the June 24, 1788 session. First, Alexander sued James
F. Atlee and then Samuel Atlee sued Alexander. Again, James Giles represented
the Atlees.

(9) . Albion Cox, one of the three New Jersey coinage contractors, appears
independently five times over the years 1785 through 1787. The first lawsuit is
recorded during the December 8, 1785 session where Cox sued his old partner,
Simeon A. Bayley. Bayley, Cox, Daniel Van Voorhis, and William Coley had
operated a jewelry and silversmith business at No. 27 Hanover Square in New York
City. Albion Cox had left this copartnership in April of 1785 and Simeon Bayley had
left later that year In July. Shortly thereafter Van Voorhis and Coley joined with
Reuben Harmon, Jr., who had obtained a coinage grant from the Republic of
Vermont. The last lawsuit appears in the March 6, 1787 session, where Bob Birch
sued Albion Cox. Birch was a limner and engraver located in New York City at No.
178 Queen Street. The fact that Birch was an engraver and that the New Jersey
copper coinage was in production at this time, brings up an interesting question.
Was the lawsuit prompted over a disagreement concerning coinage dies that Cox
had contracted Bob Birch to engrave?

(10) . Walter Mould, the New Jersey coinage contractor who minted his share of
coppers independently, appears In a case In the Februaiy 28, 1786 session.
Mould sued Andrew Lott, who is listed as residing at No. 15 Beekman Street in New
York City. At this tirne, Walter Mould was living at No. 23 William Street in the city.
There is only the initial entry in this cause, which indicates that their dispute was
settled out of court. Also, it is likely that this case was not coinage related because it
occurred before the State of New Jersey issued its coinage grant.

(11) . Ephraim Brasher, the gold and silversmith of Brasher Doubloon fame
appeared in court during the March 21 , 1 786 session. He produced a commission
from Governor George Clinton appointing him coroner of the City and County of
New York. In early America, the coroner was a busy officer. In addition to his normal
duties of investigating suspicious deaths, he also had the investigating and
arresting powers of the modern district attorney. The state law required him to
"...go to the place where any be slain, or suddenly dead, or wounded, or where
houses are broken open, or where treasure is said to be found..." He was charged
with the investigation of all the pertinent details.

Ephraim Brasher appears one other time in the minutes. During the March 6, 1787
session he sued John Stiles and Morris Earle in an apparent landlord/tenant
dispute. The dispute with Moms Earle also appears in the minutes of the Chancery

(12). The October 24, 1786 session records a very interesting association
between Samuel Atlee, James F. Atlee, and Albion Cox. This association lasted
until at least September 1787, which covers the initial coinage period of the mint
located at Rahway, New Jersey. Albion Cox and Thomas Goadsby, under the
supervision of Matthias Ogden, operated the Rahway Mint. Therefore, this
association shows a strong connection between Machin’s Mills copartners, Samuel
and Jarnes F . Atlee, and the Rahway Mint, ^so, this information supports the
conclusion that James F. Atlee had engraved coinage dies for the Rahway Mint

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during its initial period of operation, from November 1786 through June 1787. The
preceding conclusion has been deduced from punch linkage studies.

In their first lawsuit. Samuel Atlee, James F. Atlee, and Albion Cox sued Christopher
Duyckinck. James Giles was their attorney. Duyckinck was a sailmaker located in
New York City at No. 27 Front Street. In their second and last case, they were sued
by John Murray, Jr. Murray was a mert^ant located at No. 38 Queen Street in New
York City. Murray had also been involved in litigation with John Bailey in 1785.

(13) . David Brooks, a Machin’s Mills copartner, and his father-in-law Samuel Hay
appear in the June 26, 1 787 session. Hay operated a dry goods store at the sign of
the Thirteen Stars," located at No. 36 William Street in New York City. They were
sued by one of the court attorneys, Joseph Winter. This action was probably not
coinage related.

(14) . Thomas Goadsby appears by himself in five cases in a one year period during
1787 and 1788. Goadsby was Albion Cox's partner in the Rahway coinage
operation. Goadsby was the plaintiff in all of the lawsuits. Littie is known concerning
the people that Goadsby sued, except for James Tinker. Tinker is listed as a captain
residing at No. 15 Little George Street in New York City.

(15) . The Machirfs Mills copartners, with the exception of Thomas Machin, first
appear in a lawsuit during the December 18, 1787 session. Here they were sued
by George Cliland. Cliland was a blacksmith located in New York City at No. 15
Maiden Lane. Next, all of the Machin’s Mills copartners were sued by Albert
Rickman during the November 25, 1788 session. They fought back with a counter
suit during the January 13, 1789 session. During this same session they were
sued again, this time by Robert Rickman. This cause was referred to three referees
who seem to have never made a report. Judgement was ordered for want of a plea
in the Albert Rickman case. The other two cases were apparently settled out of
court because there are no subsequent entries after the initial one. Albert Rickman
operated a glass and china store located at No. 178 Queen Street in New York City.
Robert Rickman was probably related to Albert. One wonders what sort of business
the Machin’s Mills copartners were conducting with the owner of a glass and china
store.

In another related Item, the Machin’s Mills indenture, dated April 18, 1787, was witnessed by
two men, one of whom was Absolam Blackly. Blackly was admitted to practice as an attorney in
the Mayor’s Court during the May 1, 1787 session. Later in 1788, James Giles, the Madiin’s
Mills attorney, sued Absolam Blackly in two separate cases.

A summary of Mayor's Court litigation involving individual coiners and coiner associations is
presented in Appendix A. This appendix covers the period from February 1784 through
October 1791. The coiner or coiner association is shown first, followed by the people with
whom they were engaged in litigation. The first and last entry dates (month/year) are shown to
the left of each case. Only one date indicates that there was just a single entry and no further
court action was taken. If known, the vocation and New York City address is given to the right
of the name of the individual who was involved in the litigation.

The New York City Mayor’s Court minutes are an important primary source of information
concerning the state coinages. The minutes show a strong cooperation between some of the
individuals who were responsible for the New Jersey and New York coinages. Likewise, they
show an interaction between some of the Machin’s Mills copartners before that cx>inage firm
was established. The minutes also show who some of the people were that the coiners deait
with during the state coinage era. The vocations of these people could be important clues in
unraveling a better understanding of the state coinage operations. Finally, the minutes have
shed a little more light on the enigmatic James F. Atlee. It is now known that James F. Atlee,
who is credited with engraving many of the cx>inage dies used to produce state coppers, was
foreign born.

October 1 990 THE COLONIAL NEWSLEHER Sequential page 1 197

The New York City Mayor’s Court minutes are held in the Archives of the New York County
Clerk's Office, Room 703, located at 31 Chambers Street in the city. The minutes are also
available on microfilms through the Family History Center of the Mormon Church. Two
microfilms, numbers 1021728 and 1021729, cover the state coinage era. The author has
transcribed each entry that involved the people responsible for the state coinages and has
attempted to accurately transcribe the minutes; however, poor preservation, no indexing,
unfamiliar legal terms, and inferior penmanship almost assures a few errors. This amounts to
30 typewritten pages. A sample page from the minutes is presented in Appendix B. If a CNL
patron wishes to obtain a copy of the complete transcribed minutes for research, in either hard
copy or diskette (IBM ASCII files), please contact the author via the CNL Post Office Box 441 1
address. Included with the minutes is an addendum prepared by Michael Hodder of
Wolfeboro, NH, which contains definitions of the legal terms found within the minutes.

□ □ □

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Appendix A

SUMMARY of LITIGATION
for each

INDIVIDUAL COINER or COINER ASSOCIATION

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR'S COURT MINUTES
(February 1784 - October 1791)

James Giles

FEB84-MAY84 Thomas Mills

DEC85 William Alexander, Great George St.

JAN86 Christopher Crafts

Joseph Adam Fleming, Cabinet maker, 27 Crown St.
OCT 8 6 Samuel At lee

James At lee

OCT86-JAN87 Richard Evans
APR87— OCT87 John Warner

APR87 John Jackson, Grocer, 78 Water St.

MAY87 Robert J. Livingston, Attorney

SEP87-NOV87 Hercules Mulligan, Tailor, Chapel St.

NOV87— DEC87 John B. Dash Sr., Tinman, 67 Broadway

John B. Dash Jr., Hardware merchant, 147 Broadway
FEB88 Elizabeth Smith

JUN88-MAR90 Absalom Blackly, Attorney, 74 Water St.

Ebenezer Blackly
JUL88 Michael Nestell

JUL88-OCT89 Isaac Van Gieson

AUG88-DEC88 Absalom Blackly, Attorney, 74 Water St.
AUG88-SEP88 Nicholas DePeyster
AUG89 Isaac Richards

William Alexander ' ~ '

Samuel Atlee

MAY84-MAR85 John Morgan, Tavern keeper. Gold St. & Maiden Ln.

MAR85 Richard Morgan, Porter House keeper, 16 Front St.

John Grier '

David Brooks
James Grier

JUN84-OCT84 Joseph Brown Sr.

OCT85 Joshua Isaacs, Merchant, 8 Water St.

DEC85-MAY86 George Leaycraft
Alexander Graham
JUN86 Peter Nestle

FEB88-MAY88 John Parsell
JUN88-JUL88 Nathaniel Bowman
Richard Smith
JUN88 Mordeiai Heale

AUG88-SEP88 Henry Bicker Jr.

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JAN89-FEB89 Simon Nathan

Aaron Pimentel
Isaac DeCosta

JUL89-SEP89 Solomon Myers Cohen
SEP89-OCT89 Andrew Bostwick
FEB 90 -MAR 90 Simon Nathan

Solomon Myers Cohen

Thomas Goadsby
Thomas Holmes
Joseph Holmes
Samuel KIrkman
Marla KIrkman

SEP84-AUG85 James Brebner, Store owner, 8 William St.

Andrew Brown, Store owner, 8 William St.
JUL85 Francis Groome, 2 Burling Slip

AUG90 Frederick Jay, Auctioneer, 11 Queen St.

Thomas Machin

APR85-OCT88 Ebenezer Mather

APR87 Isaac Clason, Merchant, 47 Smith St.

NOV87 William Buckle, Merchant, 9 Water St.

John Bailey

JUN85-JUL85 Moses Rogers, Merchant, 26 Queen St.

John Murray Jr., Merchant, 38 Queen St.
AUG85 James Fraim, Cabinet Maker, 11 Bowery

NOV85-MAR86 Sarah Van Solinger
JUN86 James W. Combs

JUL90 John Stotesborough

Benjamin Thompson
AUG 90 Samuel Gautier

NOV90 John J. Remsen, Merchant, Great Dock St.

Samuel Gautier

Daniel Van Voorhis ' —

Simeon Alexander Bayley
William Coley

AUG85 John Loudon, Printer, 6 Water St.

George Olive (Assignee)

Samuel Atlee
Wlllllam Alexander
John Perkin
James Atlee
William Thompson
Alexander Reed

AUG 8 5 -DEC 8 5 Edward McGinn
JAN86-FEB86 James Reid

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Samuel Atlee ~ ~

William Alexander
John Perkin
James F. Atlee

NOV85-FEB86 John Conway, Tavern keeper, 39 King St.

Albion Cox
George Olive
John Jarvis

DEC85 Simeon Bayley, Jeweler & Goldsmith, 24 Old Slip

Samuel Atlee ' ~

DEC85-JAN86 Abraham Brevoort, Ironmonger, 26 Queen St.
JUN86-SEP86 John B. Dash Sr., Tinman, 67 Broadway

John B. Dash Jr., Hardware merchant, 147 Broadway
AUG86 William Gilliland, Store owner. Broad St.

JAN87 John Lamb, Collector of the port, 44 Water St.

MAY87 George Stanton, Carpenter, 31 Golden Hill

JUL87 Zacharias Sickles, Cooper, 115 Water St.

JUL87-AUG87 Daniel Dunscomb, Attorney, 82 Fair St.

AUG87 Henry Beekman

SEP87-NOV87 Thomas Thomas, Brass founder, 206 Queen St.
NOV87-DEC87 Christopher Duyckinck, Sailmaker, 27 Front St.
JUN88 William Alexander, Great George St.

Albion Cox

DEC85 Simeon Bayley, Jeweler & Goldsmith, 24 Old Slip

APR86-JUN86 Francis Raynes
William Olive

APR86-JUN86 Francis Raynes
William Olive

John Jackson, Grocer, 78 Water St.

JUN86-OCT87 Thomas Thomas, Brass founder, 206 Queen St.
MAR87-MAR88 Bob Birch, Limner, engraver, 178 Queen St.

Walter Mould

FEB86 Andrew Lott, 15 Beekman St.

George Olive " “

Albion Cox

JUN86-AUG87 Thomas Thomas, Brass founder, 206 Queen St.

Samuel Atlee "

James F. Atlee

AUG86-OCT91 William Gilliland, Store owner. Broad St.

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Samuel Atlee
James F. Atlee
Albion Cox

OCT86-DEC86 Christopher Duyckinck, Sailmaker, 27 Front St.
SEP87-NOV87 John Murray Jr., Merchant, 38 Queen St.

Ephraim Brasher

MAR87 John Stiles

Morris Earle

James Giles ~

Garret Roorback

MAY87 Medcef Eden, Brewer, Golden Hill

David Brooks ~ ~ ~

Samuel Hay

JUN87-AUG87 Joseph Winter, Attorney, 64 Nassau St.

Thomas Goadsby

JUL87 John Teaylem

JUL87~FEB88 Richard Perkins

DEC87 James Tinker, Captain, 15 Little George St.

JUN88 Jacob Sharp

AUG88 Luther Baldwin

David Brooks ~

Samuel Atlee
James Atlee
James Giles
James Grier

DEC87 George Cliland, Blacksmith, 15 Maiden Lane

James F. Atlee

JUN88 William Alexander, Great George St.

James Giles ~

James Grier
James Atlee
Samuel Atlee
David Brooks
Thomas Machin

NOV88-FEB89 Albert Rickman, Glass & China store, 178 Queen St
JANS 9 Robert Rickman

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Appendix B

Sample page transcribed from
New York Mayor’s Court Minutes

August 1 , 1786

Samuel At lee
Vs

William Gilliland

Discontinued
Attorney : Giles

August 29 , 1786

Albxon Cox
Adsm

Thomas Thomas

On Motion of Mr. Wm Livingston for the
defendant Ordered that the plaintiff
file his declaration by the next court
or be nonprossed

Samuel At lee and
James F. Atlee
Vs

William Gilliland

The sheriff returns the defendant in
custody On like motion ordered that the
defendant plead in 7 days after the
service of a copy of the declaration
and this rule on the sheriff his deputy
or the defendant in Custody or
Judgement

Attorney: Giles for the plaintiffs.

September 26 , 1786

Samuel Atlee
Adsm

John B Dash Sr. &
John B Dash Jr.

Mr. Giles Attorney for the defendant
produces the peoples writ of habias
corpus cum cuasa which was read and
filed on his motion Ordered that the
return thereof be made accordingly

October 24 , 1786

James Giles Esquire The sheriff returns the defendant

Samuel Atlee taken the other defendant
Samuel Atlee and not found On motion of Mr. B.

James F. Atlee Livingston for the plaintiff Ordered

that the sheriff bring in the body of
the defendant sitting the Court or be amerced 40 shillings
and that he plead in 7 days after the declaration is filed or
Judgement